


Hybrid

by Stratagem



Series: Lion Cub [16]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gen, Kidnapping, Medical Experimentation, Rescue Missions, Space Fam is Not Happy, omg don't make space parents angry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-10-30 22:19:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10886067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stratagem/pseuds/Stratagem
Summary: "Do you know how rare you are? Successful hybridization among alien species is an incomplete science and a strange art, and yet here you are. Natural miracles."Keith and Shiro and Allura's daughter Emi are abducted by a scientist obsessed with hybrids. As the scientist experiments, Keith has to find a way to escape. Meanwhile, the Voltron crew hunts frantically for Keith and Emi.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own VLD!
> 
> A/N: So, I've short of headcanoned that hybrids are really rare throughout the universe, and this makes them super duper interesting to scientist-types. Which ends up being a bad thing for Keith and Emi. This fic will actually have multiple chapters, whooooa. Emi is eight in this one. Let the angst begin!

"That's definitely not in the budget."

"But it's really pretty."

"Yeah, and it's really expensive." Maybe they could sell one of the lions and possibly afford that thing. Keith reached over and carefully plucked the precious gem necklace out of Emi's hands. He handed it back to the shop-keeper, who looked put out that she wasn't going to make a sale, and he wondered why the woman had let Emi hold it in the first place.

Keith nudged Emi with his knee when she pressed her nose to the display case glass. "Let's go, squirt."

"Aww…" Her eyes lingered on the ridiculously expensive necklace as Keith took her by the hand and led her out of the shop. "But Mum would love that!"

"Your mom is going to like anything you get her," Keith said, "Back on Earth, kids in my elementary school class used to give their mothers macaroni necklaces and their moms were perfectly happy." Or so he guessed.

"Isn't macaroni food?" Emi asked, tilting her head, "Why would you make a necklace out of food?"

"For fun? I don't know, teachers made us do it."

"But wouldn't it get all gross and stuff?"

"We used dry macaroni," Keith said.

Emi pulled her hand out of his so she could walk backwards in front of him. "Are you supposed to eat it? Or cook it?" She grinned. "Is it like a survival necklace? Like, you can eat it if you're starving out in the desert or something?"

"Now you're being goofy."

"It's a legit question!"

"Let's just focus on getting an actual gift before we have to go back to the Castle," Keith said. When Emi's bright blue eyes lit up and she turned around, heading back in the direction of the jewelry shop, he grabbed the hood of her vest and pulled her back. "An affordable gift."

The two of them were wandering around a shopping district on Reuan, one of the more populous and well-off planets that had been freed from Galra rule. Mother's Day was right around the corner, and Emi wanted to honor the Earth custom by getting something nice for Allura. She had already planned to cook breakfast for Allura with her dad, but just in case that was a disaster (her dad could make rice balls and that was about it), she wanted to have a gift as a back-up. Keith had volunteered, and the two of them had shot off in Red to Reuan.

"We should go there next," Emi said, pointing to a nearby store.

"That's a pet store."

"Oh, is it? I didn't notice…" Emi gave him a wide-eyed innocent look. "You know, we should go check it out anyways, since we're here."

"No."

"Hunk would go."

"You're right," he said, and smirked down at her, "Aren't you so glad I came with you instead?"

Emi replied by sticking her tongue out at him.

As they rounded a street corner, he reached out and pulled her closer, keeping her from getting bumped into by one of the locals. Reuan was home to a number of different alien species, but the native Reuans were nearly eight feet tall with massive tails that could easily knock Emi a few yards away.

The marketplace was bustling with people, which meant that Keith was keeping a close eye on Emi at all times. She usually stuck close, but she did have a habit of getting distracted easily.

"Ooo, look!" Emi said, pointing toward a small park area in front of them. There was a band playing on a dais, and there seemed to be a mini-festival going on. Stalls had been set up between the many trees around the park, and people were mingling and talking as music played in the background. "Maybe we could find something crafty for Mum in there."

"It's worth a try," Keith said. The two of them walked toward the park, Emi practically skipping with excitement. She had inherited a healthy helping of her mother's love for culture, so times like this pumped her up with energy.

As they stepped into the park, Keith had a weird feeling that they were being watched. Then again, maybe that wasn't so weird, they did stand out after all. While most of the other aliens were humanoid, they didn't blend as easily as the other species. Still, he looked around, trying to figure out if someone was staring at them a little too intently.

"Where should we go first?" Emi asked, her hands on her hips as she looked around the park.

"You pick," he said absently, wondering where this feeling was coming from.

Emi turned around in a circle and then pointed toward one of the stalls that has a bunch of stone and wooden trinkets set up. "Those look cool."

He nodded and followed her as she headed to the stall. Maybe the park hadn't been a good idea. He didn't see anyone looked at them too closely, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they were under surveillance.

"Emi, let's come back here later," he said.

"Aw, but we're almost there…" She ducked away from him, and he moved at almost the same time, quick reflexes coming into play. "Don't be a grump." Again, she jumped back, and this time he frowned at her.

"Hey. I'm not kidding—" he started to say, then something stung him on the neck. It felt like a wasp from back home on Earth, but when he swatted it, something small and silver fell to the ground. He bent down to pick it up, and he found a tiny nano-needle in the grass.

As he looked at Emi, his vision began to blur, and it was all he could do to keep his thoughts from scattering as disorientation set in. Shit. Shitshitshit. "Run."

"Uncle Keith?" she said, and when he dropped to his knees, she grabbed his shoulder. "Uncle Keith! What's wrong?"

He shoved her hard, pushing her away. Damn it, run, kid.

In a docking bay at the city's space port, Red roared to life, systems coming online. She beamed a distress call out in the direction of the castle-ship and prepared to launch.

At the same time, a slender, razor-sharp knife flicked against Keith's neck.

"Call off the lion," a calm voice said, and the knife dug into Keith's skin, drawing blood, "And you, kid, don't move."

Emi froze, looking at the man who was holding a knife to Keith's neck. He was tall but not as tall as the native Reuan. Light-haired and green-skinned, he looked like a Ossa, and it also seemed like he would hurt or kill Keith if she wasn't careful. She trembled with anger and terror, not knowing what to do. She wished her mum and dad were there and the rest of her family because they would know what to do.

Her shapeshifting gift kicked in on instinct, and her fingernails thickened into sharp claws as her teeth lengthened to fangs. She bared her teeth and dropped into a fighting crouch. Someone would have to come to help, someone in the park had to notice they were in trouble.

"Emi, stop…" mumbled Keith. He was struggling to stay conscious and figure out what was going on and how to fix it. A surge of fear at the idea of Emi trying to attack this bastard and getting hurt in the process helped him stay awake. His body felt so heavy, as if his blood had turned to steel.

"That's cute," the Ossa said, "What is that, a Galra morph? I told you not to move." The knife flicked across Keith's collarbone, and blood blossomed across his dark shirt. "Drop it and come here, or I'll just have to go ahead and stab him."

Emi glared even though her lower lip was trembling and reverted back to her normal state, except for her teeth. They stayed sharp, fangs visible over her lips as she stepped toward them. Please, someone, help… There were people, but they were partially hidden by the trees and bushes surrounding them. Maybe no one could tell what was really happening, but if she screamed, the man might hurt Keith. Rage built in her chest and forced tears into her eyes.

"I'm guessing that lion of yours already sent out some kind of call to the others, right?" the Ossa said, the knife against Keith's neck again. He snorted and suddenly his free hand darted out and grabbed the front of Emi's vest. He yanked her forward then released her. "Stay."

Grabbing Keith by the hair, he made sure he was looking Emi before pointing the knife at her. "If that lion shows up or follows us, I'll put the kid out of commission." He tapped the knife to her right arm and tightened his grip on Keith's hair as the red paladin started to struggle. "I hear her dad's missing an arm. You try anything, anything at all, and I'll make sure she matches."

Keith wanted to kill him. He was going to kill him.

"What do you want?" Emi demanded, trying to sound braver than she felt. She had to help Keith, she had to get him out of there. She just didn't know how.

The Ossa laughed and stood up, pulling Keith with him. "I'm just doing a job." He draped Keith's arm over his shoulders and started to walk, forcing the paladin to move. "Let's go. Oh, and kid? If you move out of my arm's reach, I'll gut him."

Keith forced himself to put one foot in front of the other, and his eyes slid over to Emi. He wanted to tell her to run, to go before their abductor could catch her. He wasn't sure what was going on except they were being abducted, but he was going to do his best to keep her safe and get them both out of there. Then there was Red. The lion was enraged and fighting him, wanting to come to him, but he was able to keep her at bay by stressing that Emi would get hurt.

In deference to Black, Red wouldn't come, but that didn't keep her from roaring her helpless fury.

Keith knew exactly how she felt.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for the comments! I thrive off of theeem! Have some more angst. Red is NOT HAPPY.

Keith stumbled as the Ossa half-carried him up the ramp of an old blue spaceship. They were in the grungy part of a space dock, where the black market probably thrived and pirates and smugglers made deals. He never would've brought Emi to a place like this. Shiro was going to kill him.

He felt a familiar pressure behind his eyes, and he welcomed it, letting Red see through his eyes. Even though the lion couldn't come to the rescue, she could relay the information to the other lions later. That would give the others an edge when they showed up, and hopefully that would help when it came to tracking the Ossa's ship down.

The Ossa dropped him against the wall and flicked a couple switches on the side of the ramp, causing it to start folding up and making the ship's lights come on. It was a small, one-room ship, built for speed instead of strength.

Emi knelt down next to Keith and grabbed his hand. Eyes shaped just like Shiro's but the same color as Allura's were trained on him. He could see the question and fear there and the painful silent expectation that he was going to get them out of there. He wanted to fix it, to tell her it would be okay, but instead he just squeezed her hand. "Emi, you…have to run." She could make it before the ramp closed. Forming words was hard, and it felt like he couldn't get his tongue to work right. "Go."

"I wouldn't," the Ossa said. Lazily, he pointed a blaster at Emi. "It's not like you'd get far."

Keith grabbed Emi and tried to shift so that she was behind him, forcing himself to his feet. He pushed her so that she was between him and the wall, his own hand against the wall for balance. He had to keep her safe.

"Let us go!" Emi snapped at the Ossa, peeking out from behind Keith. He held out his arm, keeping her back and out of the line of the blaster's barrel.

"Little late for that, don't you think?" the alien said. "Besides, I already got paid half for you two, so I'd be going back on the deal if I didn't follow through."

Was it some kind of ransom scam? Did they want the paladins to hand over Voltron in exchange for Keith and Emi? If they was the case, why wasn't he trying to steal Red while he was already there? Keith's legs buckled, and suddenly he was leaning against Emi. The eight-year-old tried to hold him up, but the Ossa stepped forward and grabbed Keith's arm.

"What're you trying to do, crush her?" he asked, rolling his two-toned eyes as he pulled Keith away. He gestured with the gun toward a bench on the other side of the small area. "Sit over there, kid."

Emi bit her lip and shook her head, defiant. The Ossa sighed and then abruptly and brutally whipped his blaster across Keith's face, causing the paladin to cry out.

"Don't!" Emi screamed, tears beginning to stream down her face, "Please!"

"So…?" he asked, raising the blaster again.

Emi whimpered and ran over to the bench, sitting down and pulling her legs up to her chest. She buried her face in her arms, sobbing.

"Listen, I only have to get you there," the Ossa said, "If you're bruised, they won't care, and if one of you is dead, well, I'll just explain that you were too much to deal with. They'll work it out. So cooperate."

Keith spat out a mouthful of blood onto the Ossa's boots. "Asshole."

"I've been called worse." The Ossa roughly yanked him over to a metal chair that was bolted against the wall and sat him down. He clamped restraints down on Keith's wrists and ankles, pulling them tight. When Keith was secured, the Ossa smirked and patted his cheek. "See? How hard was that?"

Keith imagined dismembering the guy or letting Red crush him slowly. Rage kept him awake and in the moment. "You're…making a mistake."

"Nah," the Ossa said, walking over toward Emi, which made Keith tense. "See, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that if you can stall me, if you can wait long enough, your friends will show up." He tapped Emi's head. "Your parents will come save you because they love you _so_ much. Right?"

Emi glanced up, her red-rimmed eyes on fire.

"I'll let you in on something." The Ossa reached behind Emi and picked up a small plastic box, flicking it open. He plucked out a hypo-syringe and set the box to the side. "Where you're going, no one's going to find you, no matter how hard or long they search."

"They will," she growled through her tears.

"Look, I don't really care," the Ossa said, "Just thought you should be more realistic." He held out his hand, palm up. "Give me your arm."

"Emi, don't," Keith said, afraid of whatever was in that syringe, "Look…look, let her go. I'll do whatever you want. Just let her go."

The Ossa snorted and snatched her arm, his slender, long fingers digging into her skin as he forced her to hold her arm out. He popped the cap off the syringe with his thumb and jabbed it into the tender crook of her elbow before she could make a sound. She swiped at him with her other hand, almost catching him in the face, but he stepped back and avoided it.

Emi's eyelids fluttered and she braced herself against the bench, leaning heavily on one arm. Keith strained against the restraints, wanting to go to her. Her breathing slowed and her eyes rolled back in her head before she collapsed heavily against the bench. "Emi!"

The Ossa nudged her onto her back and put his fingers to her neck. After a moment, he nodded. "Still alive. Good, they weren't sure about that dosage."

Keith struggled as the Ossa slipped his arms under her back and legs and lifted her. "Put her down. Don't…touch her."

"You've got a lot of demands for a guy tied to a chair," the Ossa said. He carried Emi over to what looked like an oversized dog crate, and he carelessly dropped her in before closing the top and locking it. Keith stared at her, trying to make sure her chest was moving up and down, willing her to move. She looked so small and crumpled…

Picking up the box from the bench, the Ossa pulled out a second hypo-syringe.

In his head, he felt Red, her rage matching his. He tried to soothe her in some way, but his focus was shattered as the Ossa stepped up to him, grabbed his head and shoved it to the side. There was another sting as the needle slid into his neck, and darkness rushed up to take him, cutting him off from Red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up is the person who ordered this kidnapping and how Shiro, Allura and everyone are responding.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to meet the instigator of all this angst. Also, Team Voltron finds out that Keith and Emi are gone. Shiro and Allura are beyond Enraged.

"Ma'am, are you awake?" Fingertips tapped on the top of a metal desk, rousing the woman who had fallen asleep at her work, her face smashed against a datapad.

"Yes, of course I am," said Doctor Poel Saveri as she straightened up. She pushed orange-blue tendrils back out of her face and giving her subordinate a frown. "Why are you interrupting? I'm busy."

Maff handed her a transparasheet. "Elere has returned with the Human mix specimens you and Doctor Ferren requested."

"Both of them?" Saveri asked, her three eyes flicking over the page. "Oh, look at them, Maff. Exquisite." Without waiting for Maff to respond, Saveri stood up and started gathering materials from her desk, shoving them in her work bag. "Clear out the Olkari-Jaest and prepare the main lab. He should have told us he was on his way earlier, we could have been prepared."

"Are you sure? You haven't finished with the Olkari-Jaest—"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure, just put her in Lab 2," Saveri said, waving a hand at Maff and leaving the office with her bag over her shoulder. The office was attached to the main lab, and through the many windows, she could see the Olkari-Jaest in a holding pen. Discovered by one of Saveri's black market contacts, the poor being had been an experiment created by an unskilled genetic-manipulator, so she was an unstable, imperfect hybrid.

Nothing like the two that Elere had brought her today.

Excitement drove her to walk with purpose, techs and medical assistants getting out of her way as she went straight to the lab's small hangar. Normally she would take her time, looking in on subjects and projects instead of going directly from one place to another. Today, though, she had a goal.

The facility was hidden on the dark side of a moon orbiting a gas giant, and it was blacked out by scramblers, shields, and anything else that Ferren could find to mask their presence. It was only during supply runs and when Elere was bringing them a new specimen that they lowered their defenses. It was a slight risk since they could be detected during those times, but they never lasted long. Even as she walked, each protective system was being brought back online.

The hangar was busy with activity as Saveri came in, but she was quickly let through to Elere's small vessel. They had already unloaded the new specimens, and she couldn't stop her head tendrils from trembling with anticipation.

"Amazing, isn't he?" she said as she walked over to where a pair of assistants were arranging the Human-Galra hybrid on a hover stretcher. Bending down, she peered at his face and turned his head side to side, looking for any visible signs that he was Galra. All reports said that it was hard to tell simply by his appearance that he even had an ounce of anything beside Human blood, but he was in fact half Galra. All DNA samples gathered had verified it.

That was almost more exciting than having obtained the only offspring of the last known living Altean female, one that just happened to be half Human.

There was a dark blue-black mark growing across the male's face. "Hold on," she said to the assistants and pulled a small light from her belt. Saveri opened the male's mouth and shined the light inside, seeing that his cheek was busted on the inside.

"Elere!" she said, turning away from the male and toward the Ossa, "We pay you enough to bring them here in decent condition, don't we? What happened?"

The Ossa was leaning against his ship, arms crossed, looking tired. "You asked me to bring a Voltron paladin and one of their kids here," he said, his slender shoulders shrugging, "You didn't expect them to come without a fight, did you? That's how they live." He smirked and rubbed at one of his arms. "He'll heal."

"What about my girl?" she asked, turning around. One of her assistants was lifting a small figure out of a crate, and Saveri hurried over as they placed her on another hover stretcher. Saveri lifted her thin arm, inspecting her. Really, Elere. "She's bruised, too."

"She was like that before I got her," he said. Liar.

But he was also right, they would heal from superficial wounds like this, and it was Elere's treatment that got them to the facility in the first place. He was an expert at capture and retrieval, using whatever means necessary to bring specimens to Ferren and Saveri, even if it was at an exorbitant price. He was thorough; he had been gathering information and creating a plan for bringing in the two Human-Alien hybrids for half a year now. So although his methods were barbaric, they did produce results.

Saveri turned her attention to her newest acquisitions, knowing that Elere was fully capable of finding their finance tech and getting paid on his own.

The girl on the hover stretcher twitched and shifted, beginning to come out of her drugged sleep. She made a pitiful little noise, her eyes opening into an unfocused squint. "Dad? Mum…"

"Start the processing procedures," Saveri said to her assistant. She touched the girl's soft hair and patted her arm. So deceptively fragile-looking. "Let's not dose her again unless she becomes unmanageable. Same for the male."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

"Red's probably just freaking because Keith got a hangnail or something."

Shiro hoped that Lance was right, or at least the situation was just as mundane and low-key. Red's distress call hadn't come with any details, and she hadn't responded to any contact from the other lion or the castle-ship since then.

"But that doesn't explain why Keith won't answer our com calls," Hunk said, "I don't know, guys, I've got a bad feeling—"

"Don't finish that sentence, please and thanks," Pidge said, "They're just busy."

Standing behind Shiro, Allura put her hand on his shoulder and leaned forward, looking at the readouts on Black's control panel. They had brought the castle-ship into orbit, and now the four lions were heading for the surface of Reuan.

"She's still not answering?" Shiro asked. He and Allura had been trying to contact Emi over their coms ever since they had received the call from Red.

"No, and we're going to have a chat about that when I see her," Allura said, using irritation as a shield. Shiro reached up and put his hand over hers, rubbing his thumb over the side of her wrist. Both of them were worried, but at least Keith was with Emi. Something might have happened, but whatever it was, Keith could handle it. Maybe they had just gotten lost in the city and somehow lost their coms, too...

They were almost to the surface when Red shot up from the city, roaring and bombarding the other lions with images and data. Black relayed the information to Shiro and Allura. A city park. A knife. An Ossa. Keith's white-hot anger. Streets, people not paying attention, buildings, the space docks on the other side of the city. A small, blue ship. Keith hurt, in pain. Emi crying then in a cage. More anger, tinged with desperation now, then darkness.

Shiro sucked in a quick breath, his head and heart aching. What the hell, what— Curses in a dozen languages competed with the repeating images of his daughter laying in a cage, which were soon overlaid with memories of a Galra prison cell. Everything twisted and it was Emi in chains, Emi being experimented on, Emi being forced to fight for her life. His nightmares forced on his daughter, his baby… He gripped the control panel, fighting against the onslaught, trying to overcome it.

"Shiro, what do we do?" Hunk asked.

"Paladins! Princess, what's going on?" Coran was on the holoscreen, his face pressed into the view. "What's happened?"

Pidge's voice broke over the com system. "Shiro?"

"Head back to the surface, where Red came from," Lance said after they didn't get a response, "We'll start asking if anyone saw anything, and Shiro and Allura will meet us there."

He couldn't breathe. Fury powered through him, making him want to do something right now, as if he could reach through what Red had shown them and snatch Emi and Keith back. He had to fix this.

Shiro stood up, his right arm glowing without being purposefully activated. Allura was on the floor of Black's cockpit, her hands braced against the warm metal, tears on her cheeks. Seeing her brought Shiro back to the present. She needed him, and he needed her. They had to work together.

He sat down beside her, his back against the control panel. Allura blinked and looked over at him, his rage echoed and intensified in her expression.

"I want her back," Allura snapped, "I want her and Keith back. Now."

Around them, Black reinforced Allura's words with an image of Allura and Shiro holding Emi in between Black's massive paws.

"We'll find them. I swear we will." Shiro pulled Allura to him, holding her against his chest as they became sharp and determined together, forging rage into willpower. "We'll get her back."

And he would personally make sure whoever took Emi and Keith paid for it dearly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for the comments and everything, y'all! They always fuel my muse. Sooo, have some more scary stuff and angst?

"I think he's coming around for real this time."

"You've said that two times already."

"His heart rate's changing."

Keith kept his eyes closed, listening to the voices around him. He forced himself to stay still and assess the situation, chasing away the lingering disorientation. There must have been some kind of bright light shining at him because his eyelids were that red color they get when someone beams a flashlight in your face.

"Did Saveri make a final decision on implant placement with these two?"

"She just made up her mind." Someone snorted. "I think she's going with the other one first."

The other one? Emi? He was laying down now, his back against something hard and firm. With tiny, cautious movements, he tried to turn his wrists, but they were held in place. Same thing with his ankles.

A finger landed on his eyelid and pried it open. "Told you he was awake."

Keith jerked his head to the side, blinking against the light. Slowly the glare faded, and he could see three people gathered around him, all of them wearing white and blue outfits and clear plastic face masks. His shirt was missing, and there were electrodes attached to his chest and sides. There was a quiet beeping sound coming from somewhere behind him, and as he strained to look around, he saw monitors and other equipment.

"Where am I? Where's Emi?"

"BP rising. Should we dose him again?"

"No, Saveri said to wait." The tallest one leaned over him, eyes shaped like a goat's and the shade of lemon peels peering at him closely. "You have to stay calm or we'll be forced to sedate you."

To hell with staying calm. But he also didn't want them to knock him unconscious again, not when he didn't know what they would do to him or where Emi was. Had they hurt her? Keith jerked at the restraints on his wrists and glowered at the tall alien. "What's going on?"

"You're at the Ferren and Saveri Hybridization Institute," the alien replied. He picked up something from one of the nearby metal tables and shined it into Keith's eyes. "Make a note for an optometry scan."

Hybridization? Keith tensed and looked away from the alien, his mind racing now that it wasn't fogged with drugs. Both he and Emi were hybrids, that must have been why they were brought there. But why would they give up the name of their facility so easily?

Unless they didn't expect him to ever leave it.

"Where's Emi?" he demanded, "Is she all right?"

"The girl? Of course she is," said one of the other aliens, "Doctor Saveri is with her. Doctor Ferren will be back here in a minute so you can meet him."

"I want to see her."

The aliens shared a glance, and the tallest one made a clicking noise. "We need to test reflexes anyways." He looked down at Keith. "I know you believe that you can make some kind of heroic escape if we release your restraints, but that's poor logic." He tapped Keith's shoulder, and Keith noticed that there was a dull pain there, where his shoulder connected to his torso. "Not only could you not reach the girl, you wouldn't even get to the door. This is an electrical collar of sorts, though it's subdermal. Don't force us to shock you."

Keith ground his teeth together. Damn it. "I'll cooperate if you let me see her."

"This is a terrible idea," one of the aliens said as the tallest one started undoing the restraints on Keith's wrists. "You know he's a warrior, right? The Red Voltron Paladin? Plus he's half Galra. He could probably kill us all with a scalpel in seconds."

"It might level him out if he can at least see the girl for a moment," said the other alien, this one with antennas, "And we do need that initial reflex data."

"It won't be completely accurate, he was just unconscious…"

"It's the initial baseline, not the final, Tierj."

Keith glared up at the ceiling as the aliens bickered, trying to puzzle his way through this. He could grab the metal tray and take out two of them but that left the third. Which one had the remote to shock him? He assumed there was only one remote, but what if they all had one. Then even if he did take out the aliens, he didn't know if the room was locked or if he could get out. Plus, what if he did get out and then couldn't get to Emi? He wouldn't leave without her. On top of all that, he wanted to make whoever had done this suffer.

So much.

When all of the restraints were undone, Keith sat up and resisted the urge to rub his wrist. The nervous alien, Tierj, had his finger resting on band on his wrist, which clued Keith into how the whole electrical collar thing worked. If they pressed a button on one of their wristbands, it would shock him. Good to know.

Keith would be breaking a lot of wrists in the future.

"She's over there," the tallest alien said, gesturing to a wall made completely out of a clear glass-like substance.

Through the wall, there was a set-up almost identical to the one in his room. There was another team of aliens in there, but there were two extra ones. Someone shifted, and suddenly he could see her. She was wearing a short white gown and sitting on a medical exam table, her legs hanging off the edge. Her eyes were dull, at least until she glanced up and saw him looking at her.

"Keith!" Before anyone could stop her, she had jumped down from the table and ran over the wall separating them.

Oh shit, they were going to shock her, could they shock her, did she have that too? "Kiddo, stop!" He got off his own table, his legs still feeling like cement, and walked toward the wall, yanking the electrodes off his chest.

She put both hands on the wall, panic in her voice when she spoke. "I wanna go home, I want Mum and Dad, I want Lance and Coran and Hunk and Pidge, I want Black. I want you to take me home. Please, Uncle Keith, I want to go, let's go, please."

"Return to the table immediately," said Tierj, probably with his hand twitching over the shock button, "Now!"

Keith ignored them and knelt in front of Emi, trying to get her to look directly at him. "Emi, take a deep breath."

She slapped her hands against the wall. "No! I want to go home!"

"Hey, hey, shh, I'm going to take you home, I promise," he said, feeling useless, "But we can't right now, and you have to calm down."

"I just want to go home."

"Me, too," he said. He wanted to shatter the wall, grab her, and then run until they found a way out. But he had to come up with a plan. He couldn't come at this in his normal way, attacking first and thinking through it later.

Emi's eyes went wide and her body went rigid before she collapsed in a heap. Keith slammed a fist against the wall, erupting into a stream of curses as one of the aliens came over and scooped her up. They put her back on the exam table, placing a breathing mask over the lower part of her face while another injected something into her arm.

"What are they doing to her?" Keith demanded, "What's going on?"

"Setting up for placing her implant, which is something we need to do as well."

Keith turned around and saw a three-armed Ullini standing by the door. He must have come in when Keith was talking to Emi. Unlike most people on his planet, he was dressed in white and blue instead of the normal garish Ullini colors.

"If you prefer to stay conscious for a few more minutes, Mr. Kogane, I think you should take a seat." He gestured toward the table, but Keith didn't move away from the wall. The Ullini sighed. "It's a minor surgery, honestly. They're putting her under so she won't feel a thing."

Familiar, welcome anger flared again, and Keith clenched his fists. They were torturing her. He was going to kill anyone who touched her. If something happened to him, Shiro would finish the job when he got there. Keith launched himself at the Ullini, but he dropped to the ground halfway there as electricity surged through him, stealing his ability to move and wracking him with pain.

"Let's try that again," the Ullini said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More angry space parents and rescue-Voltron family next time!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Space fam with a plan. Red is a giant Keith-detector. Scientists are creepy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This thing is just so angsty. I mean. Ahhh. So not my normal fluff. Luckily space fam figures out how to create a massive Keith-focused GPS system in this chapter.

"We know the make and model of the ship, but there's no way to track it," Pidge said. She was leaning over her computer back on the castle, eyes flicking back and forth over streams of text that no one besides her and maybe Hunk understood. "It doesn't leave a trace trail."

Leaning back, she rubbed a palm into her forehead, trying to get rid of her ice-pick headache. Her desk was covered in a dozen empty cups and mugs that had once contained straight up espressos, and she hadn't slept for almost two days.

None of them had.

Shiro slammed his left hand on the desk and turned around, crossing his arms over his chest. Trying to be patient was like attempting to hold onto a river right now. It kept slipping right through his fingers.

"I'm not mad at you, Pidge," he made sure to say, just in case she thought any of his anger was toward her. No, all of that anger was reserved for whoever had stolen his baby girl and Keith, who was practically his little brother.

"I know, I just wish I could do more," she said, reaching for the last mug Coran had brought her, which still had a trace of espresso in it.

Hunk reached over and plucked it out of her hand. "I think your heart is going to explode if you drink any more of that."

She glared but sat back in her chair, letting her head drop on her shoulder for a moment. Even if she wasn't hyped up on coffee, she doubted she could sleep.

They had spent hours on the surface of Reuan, trying to figure out anything they could from the locals. Some people in a city park had recognized pics of Emi and Keith, and a couple had said they saw them leave the park with an Ossa. It had looked like Keith wasn't feeling well, which the Voltron crew had guessed meant he was drugged or actually injured. There was no other way that he would've willingly gone with the Ossa, unless the alien had been threatening Emi, which was also possible.

Interrogating people at the space dock had given them a little more information, such as the Ossa's name, Elere, and the ship information. Lance had broken some guy's arm and found out exactly what time the Ossa's ship had left the dock.

It seemed like a dead end, but that was completely unacceptable.

Allura paced back and forth, unconsciously shifting her hands between normal fingernails and long, dangerous claws. Diplomacy and peace were what she encouraged, except when it came to someone harming her family and taking her child. She would be happy to show them exactly what an enraged Altean was capable of, if only she could find them. There had to be a way to find Keith and Emi, no matter where in the universe they were being hidden.

Wait.

"The Red Lion…"

"What?" Shiro said, turning toward her.

She looked from him to Coran, stepping toward the older Altean. "Zarkon tracked us once by using his connection with the Black Lion. What if we used the Red Lion's connection to Keith to find where they've been taken?"

"I'm not sure if we could do that," Coran said, cupping his hand around his chin, "That process must have used a great deal of quintessence."

"We can use our quintessence," Allura said, thinking swiftly, "And the lions are partially powered by quintessence, we can draw from them and the castle's crystal."

"Do you really think that'll work?" Shiro said.

"It's the only thing I can think of to try right now," Allura said, spreading her hands out in front of her, "Keith and the Red Lion have a deep connection, and she should be drawn to him."

"It honestly can't hurt, can it?" Hunk said.

"I think we should do it," Lance said with a determined nod, "Red acts like Keith's her cub, she'll go after him if she has any inkling of where he is."

Shiro and Allura could relate. They wanted their cub back, too.

* * *

"Try a full-blooded Altean morph."

"I don't want to."

"I know you can do it. Show me. Please?"

Emi looked over at where Keith was standing behind the clear wall of his cell, and he nodded at her. They had been at the facility for almost two days now, and Keith had learned that he needed to encourage Emi to cooperate as much as possible. He wasn't sure how many shocks she could get before her system couldn't take it, and he didn't want to find out what that limit was.

He knew she wanted to fight back, but he couldn't stand it when they shocked her. She had already been punished less than an hour ago for biting one of the assistants when they touched her ears. Emi's ears were incredibly sensitive, and she didn't really like for anyone to touch them unless it was Shiro or Allura.

It didn't surprise him one bit that she had morphed Galra fangs and crunched down on the assistant's hand. It was that morph that had made Saveri interested in seeing how many morphs Emi could do, which wouldn't have been so bad except she insisted on drawing blood each time Emi did a new morph. So far she had done full human and her Galra morph.

Sighing, Emi closed her eyes and focused. He watched as the black parts of her hair lightened to charcoal grey then silver then snow white. The pink Altean birthmarks on her face, arms, and legs brightened and glowed. Her eyes changed shape so that they looked more like Allura's, and her already pointed ears became slightly narrower and lengthened.

"Good girl," Saveri said, and she reached for Emi's arm to take more blood.

Anger bubbled under Keith's skin, and he walked the length of his cell to keep from punching the wall. Emi's arms and legs were covered in bruises from all the blood that Saveri had taken and the injections she had been given. Not even combat training gave her this many bruises at one time.

After a few more morphs and blood draws, Emi was falling asleep on her feet, her energy completely drained. Shifting wasn't easy even though she was skilled at it for her age according to Allura and Coran. She usually took a long time between morphs, and losing that much blood, enough to fill a dozen vials, probably put her on the verge of fainting anyways.

"She needs juice or something with sugar," Keith said, one hand on the glass as Emi sat down on the floor, her head hanging forward, "It'll help her recover from the blood loss."

"Really? If you say so." Saveri turned to the nearby desk and flicked the com unit there. "I need two cups of robos juice and two slices of that cake from Aru's party in here, please." She flicked the com off after she got an affirmative and gave Keith a smile. "You can have the other slice, of course. The cake is quite good."

Crazy psycho bitch. "I bet." He walked the length of the wall again, his eyes on Emi. She had stretched out on the floor and was laying with her chin on her crossed arms, like she was back home and getting ready to watch a movie on Pidge's laptop. "Hey, kid, you okay?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, "Just tired."

"You have to sit up and eat."

"Nope…"

"Emi, come on." He glanced at Saveri and saw her watching them with her triangle-shaped head cocked to the side. "What?"

"It's like she's your child, but you're not related in the slightest." She smiled again and made a note on her transparasheet. "Perhaps humans have evolved with the ability for their children to imprint on others, making them want to care for them until they reach adulthood? And adults feel obligated to tend to young ones even if it's detrimental to themselves. It's just a theory, I'll need more data." She waved a hand at Keith. "Would you like to come out here and help with her? I doubt she'll sit up for me, but she seems to listen to you. Of course, if you attempt to escape with her, there will be consequences for both of you…"

"I won't," Keith said shortly.

Saveri hummed and then pressed a button on the desk. The glass-like material of his cell wobbled then melted away, providing a makeshift doorway. He stepped through and slowly walked over to Emi, shoving all thoughts of escaping to the side so he didn't appear like a threat to Saveri. Oh, but he was. He could kill her with his bare hands at this point. He could bludgeon her with something from the desk. But he wouldn't get far, and Emi needed him.

Sitting down cross-legged on floor behind Emi, he slid his hands under her armpits and pulled her into his lap. "Hey, Mouse." Her eyes were half-lidded, but she curled into him and relaxed. He cradled her against his chest, holding her tight and pushing her wild hair back from her face. "We're going to get out of here, okay?" he whispered to her, "We're going home."

"Now?"

"Soon."

"'Kay."

"I'm sorry, but you two are just so amazing." Saveri was watching them, her hands crossed in her lap. "I've studied hundreds of cases, and you two are a couple of the most complete and perfect hybrids I've ever discovered."

Keith was busy inspecting the bruises on Emi's arms and legs and figuring out how to inflict the same pattern on Saveri. "Great."

"You don't understand. Do you know how rare you are? Successful hybridization among alien species is an incomplete science and a strange art, and yet here you are. Natural miracles."

Keith was ready to tell the woman where she could go stick her amazement and awe when something stirred at the back of his mind, blazing hot and free and untamable.

Red. It was Red.

Behind Red's thoughts was a clear, loud message said in six different voices.

" _We're coming. Hold on. We see you. We love you both. Stay strong. Keith."_

_"We're coming."_


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for space fam to go blow some stuff up and space parents to DESTROY someone

The Castle ship emerged from a wormhole in view of a large peach-colored gas planet and its small grey moon. An instant later, all five lions launched from the castle and followed Red to the dark side of the dead little moon, Black soaring right on Red's tail.

A large set of buildings appeared, hidden in the darkness of the moon. You would have to be right above the location to even notice the facility, but Red headed straight for it, eventually landing on its roof and digging her claws into the roof.

"There are gun turrets," Pidge said, "At least six of them."

"Lance, Hunk, take them out," Shiro said, "Pidge, hack into their systems."

"You've got it."

"Sure thing."

"No problem."

The explosions were immediate, announcing to whoever was in the facility that they were no longer hidden. There was a large hangar opening at the south side of the facility, and that's where Black headed. Allura stood behind Shiro's pilot's seat, a blaster rifle in her hands and rage in her bright blue eyes. Shiro's face was as hard as steel as Black hovered at the doors, waiting for a confirmation from Pidge.

"Atmospheric shield is up and running, and you're good to go on wrecking their shit, Shiro," Pidge said, "There are a bunch of locked doors in there, so I'm just going to open all of them."

"Do it," Shiro said. He and Allura braced themselves as Black tore through the hangar doors, ripping them open with her claws and ducking down to fit her front half inside. Time to find their family then burn the entire place to the ground and crush it into atoms.

* * *

It was dark in the main lab while the facility went through artificial nighttime. Keith was awake, sitting with his back against the wall, looking at the place on his arm where Farren had taken skin samples. There was a small square patch of skin missing underneath the bandage that he had pried back, and the wound stung as the cool, sterilized air hit it.

No one had done anything like that to Emi yet, but he had heard them talking about removing one of her birthmarks to study it. They had to get out of there before that happened. He had to get her away before she woke up to find a piece of her missing.

Right now, she was asleep, pressed up against the wall that split their two cells. She would have been curled up against his back if the wall hadn't been there. He had told her stories until she had fallen asleep. Boring stories, stupid stories, he wasn't any kind of storyteller, but she had listened and eventually dropped off.

Directly above them, something crunched and groaned as if some massive object had dropped on the ceiling. Fire chased the exhaustion from Keith's blood, and he sat up straight, looking at the ceiling. Red had found him. That hadn't taken too long.

Next to the lab door, a siren began to wail and blue lights started flashing like on a police car. Emi jerked up, fear in her eyes and then a strange calm. She blinked. "Black's here." An excited grin bloomed on her face for the first time in days, and she sprang to her feet. "Mum and Daddy are here!"

"Told you they were coming," he said, forcing himself to stand up. He glanced at the door, half expecting it to fly open as lab techs or someone came to check on them. There were voices and people yelling, but no one came in. The entirely facility rocked and shook, and deep booms filled the room. Emi clapped her hands over her ears, but she was still smiling and bouncing on the balls of her feet.

The clear walls around them suddenly dissolved, and for a second, they just stared at each other, uncertain what to do with the freedom. It only took an instant for Keith to react. He snatched Emi and hurried over to where the scientists kept all of the medical gear. He started tossing things, looking for a scalpel, and when he found one, he pressed it into the spot where the electrical collar was under his skin. With a quick flick of the blade and a grunt of pain, he dug the little pill-shaped thing out of him.

Beside him, Emi was pale and watching him like he had lost his mind. When he turned towards her, she didn't step back but she did look up at him uncertainly.

Keith knelt down in front of her, wishing there was some other way, but as long as she had that in her, the scientists could control him and probably the others as well. All they would have to do would be threaten to shock her to death. "Emi, I have to get that thing out of you."

"It'll hurt," she said, one hand going to cover up the spot.

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry about that, but otherwise they'll be able to shock you." He reached out and chucked her under the chin, knowing they only had a limited amount of time before the scientists came into the room. He had to get her to let him—oh, there was that. "I'll get you a kitten."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, I swear, I'll get you a kitten when we get back if you let me do this, and it'll only take a second."

She hesitated, and his heart thundered against his chest. They could shock her at any moment, and he wasn't sure what he would do. Finally, she turned her head to the side and screwed her eyes shut. "Okay…"

Keith didn't give her time to change her mind. He clamped down on her shoulder so she couldn't wriggle away, found the device right under her skin, and flicked the blade with expert skill, taking it out. Emi shrieked, making him feel terrible, but he knew it had to be done. "Sorry, sorry." Quickly, he handed her a clump of bandages to press to the cut and took her by the hand.

The door was unlocked, and the scene outside of it was in chaos. There were med techs and escaped medical subjects plus the sirens and flashing lights. The first med tech they came across tried to press one of the buttons on her wristband while pointing at them. When it didn't work she tried to run, but Keith lashed out with a punch, sending her to the floor. That sure did feel nice.

Digging out the electrical collars had definitely been the right move. But there were still those implants that they had placed, though Keith didn't even know what those were for. He'd worry about them later.

Keith felt Red speaking to him, and he turned and headed toward the south, moving through the corridors and guiding Emi through the mess as prisoners turned on their captors. The Lions had landed at the southern end of the facility, and that's where Red was heading. Therefore, so were Keith and Emi.

They rounded a corner and almost collided with Lance. The Blue Paladin backpedaled then let out a yell into his com. "Found them!" He rushed forward, scooping up Emi and then grabbing Keith to pull him in for a one-armed hug. "You look like shit," he said, the deep concern in his eyes betraying his carefree attitude, "But it's really good to see you guys in one piece."

"You have no idea," Keith said, awkwardly but gratefully returning the hug.

"Dude, where's your shirt?"

"No idea."

"Well, that's okay. We'll find you a new one." Lance pulled away and supported Emi with both arms. He took in the bruises on her arms and the bloody cut on her shoulder, and something dark flashed over his face. It cleared up as he pressed his forehead to hers for a brief moment. "I know two people who are going to be super extremely happy to see you. Let's go find them."

"Don't move!"

Lance and Keith turned around, and Lance set Emi down, pushing her behind him and Keith. At the end of the hall, Dr. Farren was standing, a blaster in one hand and an electric prod in his other. His eyes were crazed as he pointed the prod at Keith. "I told her we shouldn't bring you here, it was too risky, but now you're here and you can't leave. You are a scientific breakthrough! You can save hundreds of thousands of lives!"

"Is he for real?" Lance asked.

"Extremely." Keith pressed his hand to his injured shoulder and glared.

Farren lifted the blaster. "Don't try to leave. You don't need legs to be useful."

"So he's serious."

"Very."

Before Farren could shoot the blaster, Lance had lifted his bayard, transforming it into a rifle. But he didn't get the chance to take the shot. Keith saw what was coming, and he turned swiftly to cover Emi's eyes, not wanting her to see.

A thin, deadly blade of black light erupted through Farren's chest, and he stared at it for a moment in complete surprise. With a gurgling noise, he slid off the blade and onto the floor, revealing Shiro behind him.

The Black Paladin's face was splashed with blue blood and smudged with soot from the parts of the building that were on fire, but his furious eyes lit up at the sight of Keith and Emi. The black sword morphed into a regular bayard as Shiro sprinted down the hallway.

Emi peeled Keith's hand away from her eyes and screamed when she saw her dad. She took off toward him, and they collided, Shiro sweeping her into his arms and then falling to his knees, weak with relief. He pressed her to his shoulder as he dropped backwards, sitting on the floor. Emi started sobbing, and Shiro didn't try to stop his own tears as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and held her tight.

Pulling back, he looked at her arms and then cupped her face, taking in the injuries. "Hi, baby girl," he said, rubbing his thumbs under her eyes, drying her tears, "I'm so sorry I wasn't here sooner."

Emi sniffled and leaned forward to rest her head on his chest. "It's okay."

No, it wasn't.

"Emi!" Allura's voice called behind them. Shiro glanced up to see her at the end of the hallway, her hand wrapped like a vice around the upper arm of a willowy, triangle-headed alien woman. The alien woman's face was bloody from a missing eye, and there was a massive blaster wound on her leg.

Suddenly Allura was beside him, dropping to the floor and wrapping her arms around Emi, talking to her in soothing Altean. Emi started crying again, and Shiro slid Emi over into Allura's arms so she could comfort her. Gently, Shiro traced Allura's cheek, feeling her relief, and kissed Emi's forehead again before he stood up.

He saw Keith leaning heavily against the wall next to Lance, who had his bayard trained on the alien woman Allura had brought. Walking over, Shiro caught Keith up in a bear hug. "I'm glad you're okay."

The younger man shuddered and let his forehead drop onto Shiro's shoulder. For the first time since he had arrived at the facility, tears started sliding down his cheeks. It was all right. He was going to be all right. Emi was going to be okay.

Their family was there to save them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic needed a wrap-up/feel-better chapter, so here it is! Thank you, everyone, for reading!

Keith quietly shuffled down the hallway of the L'thya hospital, one hand on the wall. When one of the nurses came over to scold him, he gave them a look that must have convinced him to leave Keith alone. Good decision.

If it was any time but now, one of the other paladins or Coran would've been walking with him or insisting he went back to bed, but they were all out in the city on a secret mission at his request. Which, in turn, gave him the chance he had been looking for.

It was a week after he and Emi had been rescued from the hybridization facility, and both of them were still recovering. He knew it would take time. The wounds would heal, but the nightmares wouldn't be going away any time soon. Shiro and Allura hadn't left Emi's side since they got her back, and the rest of Team Voltron split their time hovering between Keith and Emi. The whole ordeal seemed to have freaked them out. Hunk had hugged him for five minutes straight once they were all back on the castle ship.

All of the other prisoners had been boarded onto the Castle and brought by the team to L'thya, a planet known universe-wide for its relaxing and excellent medical facilities. Many of them had been held by Farren and Saveri for years, and they needed more than just a few days in the healing pods. They needed people that cared for them and gave them the socialization and counseling they desperately needed.

Saveri and the rest of the science team were being held at a prison located off of a well-known asteroid belt. There wasn't any kind of universe-wide justice system, so they would be tried by court systems from each planet they had abducted people from. For Emi and Keith, that would be Earth, though Reuan was arguing that they also had the right to try the science team since the kidnapping had been committed on their planet. Keith didn't care as long as Saveri and her team got what was coming to them.

Keith rested for a moment. He had woken up from surgery only a couple hours ago, so he was still sort of out of it and exhausted. At least that damn implant was gone now. They still weren't entirely sure what those had been for, but the L'thya had figured out how to safely remove them so now he and Emi were free of them. It was a good feeling, knowing that there wasn't anything foreign lodged behind his ribcage anymore.

Luckily, the room he wanted to go to was right at the end of the hall. Leaning against the wall, he knocked, wondering if they would let him in.

The door opened a few moments later, and Shiro instantly pulled him inside. "Keith, what are you doing up? You're supposed to be resting," he said in a loud whisper. He firmly pushed Keith in a chair and then stood back, giving him what could only be labeled as a Dad-look. While he had been good at it for years, being an actual father had only improved and sharped the expression. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I…" Keith shrugged and leaned against the side of the comfy, cushy chair. "How's Emi?"

Shiro softened and nodded over to the little bed by the window. Emi was asleep on her side with her arms around her black lion plushie. Bandages were wrapped around her arms and legs, but she looked comfortable.

Allura sat cross-legged at the head of the bed, and her hand was laying on Emi's temple, a gentle pinkish-purple glow lighting up her fingers. Magic. Allura only used it on occasion. She was singing softly and had her eyes closed, though she opened them for a brief moment and flicked a smile in Keith's direction.

"What's Allura doing?" Keith asked, keeping his voice low.

"Giving Emi good dreams," Shiro said, his gaze lingering on his wife and daughter with intense affection, "She hasn't been sleeping well." He turned his attention back to Keith, meeting his eyes. "Like you."

Nothing escaped Shiro. "I'll be okay." Keith leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and then stood up. "I just wanted to see how she was."

Shiro's hand came down on his uninjured shoulder. "Wait." Keith frowned and tried to take a step toward the door, but Shiro wouldn't let him loose. "Keith, we need to talk."

Allura slid off the bed, covered Emi with a fuzzy purple blanket, and walked over to them. "You've been avoiding us," she said gently, "We're worried about you."

Keith looked at the floor since that was currently easier than looking at either of them. He didn't deserve their worry. The guilt he had been trying to reason away flooded him, beating at him. _Your fault, why didn't you notice what was happening, it's your own damn fault, you're the reason Emi's hurt, you only have yourself to blame_. Part of him knew he couldn't let those thoughts run away with him, but wasn't it true? He hadn't rescued them, he hadn't even been able to help Emi.

"I'm sorry," he said, the words breaking as they left his mouth, "I should've done more…"

Shiro looked at him harder and then started. "You don't blame yourself, do you?"

Allura seemed alarmed as well. "It wasn't your fault. We saw what happened from the Red Lion's perspective, and there wasn't anything you could have done to stop the Ossa."

"I should have, though!" Keith said, pulling away from Shiro. "I should've figured out a way to get out of it, or at least get Emi free. You would've found her if she was on Reuan, she could've hidden with Red." His shoulders hunched forward.

"Keith, stop," Shiro said, "Just stop." He stepped toward the younger paladin and put his hands on either side of his face, making him look him in the eye. "We do _not_ blame you. And you're not going to blame yourself, either. Got it?" He let go and then pulled Keith in for a hug. "You can't do that."

Allura hugged him from the other side, and he found himself sandwiched between them. He bowed his head, trying not to cry. It wasn't that easy, stopping himself from feeling that way, but their reassurances helped somewhat.

"Stay in here for a while," Shiro said, pointing to a smaller bed in the corner. This room was bigger than his, which allowed both Allura and Shiro to sleep there at night.

"You should sleep," Allura said, patting him on the shoulder, "You need to rest, too."

Okay…okay.

* * *

It was later that evening when the other paladins and Coran got back from their secret mission. They gathered in Keith's room, where an argument broke out about which pair had come back with the best find.

"It's black. It's fluffy. It's perfect. Ours wins," Lance said.

Pidge shook her head. "Ours has black on it! And orange and white. It won't shed as much because its fur is short."

Coran made a grand gesture. "And it's got little stubby legs that make it automatically adorable."

"You were only supposed to come back with one," Keith said. He had come back from Emi's room and was sitting on his bed, watching the two subjects of the argument play-fight and bat at each other. Honestly, he hadn't even really expected them to come back with kittens, but then again, L'thya was a diverse planet and lots of humans had made a home there.

"This is way better," Hunk said, reaching down to scratch one of the kittens behind the ear, "Now they'll be best friends."

"I don't know if Shiro and Allura will go for two," Keith said uncertainly. They had been perfectly fine with the fact that Keith had promised Emi one kitten for a good reason, but two? Hmm…

"We'll just give them both to her and pretend we didn't realize there were two," Lance said, "We can be all, 'Oh, wow, look, it's amazing!' And then they won't have a choice."

"How could they say no, they're soo cute," Hunk said, lifting the calico kitten up to his face. It meowed and pushed its paws against his cheek, fussing. "Yes, you're right, you are so cute and fierce, yes, you are."

Keith gently pushed the other kitten over, which made it squirm and try to bite his hand. Okay, so black kitten or tri-color kitten. One was fluffy while the other one was short. Which would Emi like better?

There was a knock on the door, but before anyone could even try to hide the kittens, the door opened. Allura and Shiro stepped inside, Emi's hands in theirs. "We heard from the front desk that everyone was back—"

"Kittens!" Emi erupted. She dropped her parents' hands and raced over, skidding to a stop beside Keith's bed. Her eyes shone with more energy and excitement than they had in days, and she put her hands to her lips. "Kittenkittenskittens."

"Wait, kittens as in more than one?" Allura asked. However, any kind of protest she was about to make died when Hunk walked over and put the little calico munchkin kitten into her hands. "Ooooh, my." She squished the kitten to her face and gave Shiro a starry-eyed, smitten look that said they were definitely keeping both kittens no matter what.

Lance picked up Emi and set her on the bed. "You get to name 'em, Squeaker."

"Both of them?" she asked.

He gave her ponytail a gentle tug. "Yep, both."

Keith picked up the black kitten by the scruff of its neck and held it out to Emi, who took it and hugged it to her. She kissed the top of its head and then lifted it up so she could get a better look. It blinked its blue eyes and meowed until she held it closer.

"What if I name them wrong?" she said.

"You can't," Shiro said. He looked amused instead of annoyed, so Keith took that as a good sign.

"Okay…" She pointed at the black kitten. "Shadow." She tilted her head as she considered the calico kitten and then smiled. "Haru."

"Did you really just name that cat after your favorite cartoon character?" Lance said, teasing her.

She nodded and smirked. "Sure did."

Keith reached over and ruffled Emi's hair. "I like it."

Emi crawled up the bed and cuddled up beside him, giving him a hug. "Thank you."

Keith hesitated and then hugged her back. Things were going to get better. It would take time, but they would heal. This was a good start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thanks so much for reading this angsty fic! :D


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